Kyler: The Untold Story
by Ksonic
Summary: Four years ago, a small, baby was dropped off at Amy Rose's home. Together with Sonic, the young couple are unaware that the girl's mother is still hoping to retrieve her child, even if it means death.Meanwhile, suddenly Kyler can preform...chaos control?
1. Prologue

**Prologue-Year 2910  
**

_Darkness consumes the cold cell. Water drips slowly down from the ceiling, forming a murky puddle of the damp dirt ground. The room holds no sounds besides the constant drip, and, every now and then, someone shuffles, trying to find warmth within their death. A soft whimper, a shush from someone else, and the cell falls silent again, the drip seeming daunting. _

_The silence is broken. A door opens many feet away, and a bulky man shuffles through the cold hall, his whistle holding no comfort to those inhabited, as he circles a pair of keys in his pudgy fingers. He stops suddenly, his fat face facing the second to last cell in the room, and he grins wickedly as he lifts the keys up to the door. Things start to come to life, for movement is heard, and dark, red eyes can be seen through the bars as they try to hide in the shadows. Someone growls, trying to force the living away from her claimed area, but it's useless, as they all cram to the back along with her. The door opens with a creak, and the man glances around the dark cell, as if he can see. His fingers encircle the keys firmly, and they clatter slightly at his fingers light movement by his side. Squinting into nothingness, he suddenly sees something, and with determined steps, walks into the back of the room._

_Murmurs are heard within as the man makes his way further and further back, and stops at the end of the cell, watching the wavering red eyes glance up at him with fear, and then look down. Only one pair of eyes stare up at him, however. The eyes are cold, full of hatred, and the man grins. He knows who would be that stubborn; who would still look up at him with an unfaltering gaze. She had the power to be able to look at everyone with determination running through her, and yet, to not allow anyone to be able to break through her walls._

_Only two people in her life had ever managed to find her. And the man knew no one else would be able to break her down. She was a mystery, a puzzle piece to this whole mess, but she was one who would never fully fit correctly._

_And that was why he enjoyed torturing her and her baby the most. Because she was so dang stubborn._

_With a simple shrug of his broad shoulders, she knew she was being called forth, but she stood still, her back straight and stiff, like an iron board. This only made the man smirk, as he reached for her bony form. She attempted an attack, shielding her child in her arms as she did so, but she was too weak, and he easily grabbed her arm, and dragged her out of the room. Screaming intensely, mostly out of anger, the women fought for the right to stay as she was, but her frail form wouldn't allow it, and she soon gave in, telling herself only to hold her shaking baby closer to her. With a sharp yank, the man continued pulling her along the dark, long hallway, his intentions for her not being in this room. _

_Reaching the large double doors, he paused only long enough to type a code into the key pad by the door, which doesn't go unnoticed to the women, and her eyes follow his fat fingers as they press button after button until the doors open, and the man moves forward._

_'4VFO57JV4…' she muses, as he continues walking._

_Again, the women struggles, making the man holding her stop in his tracks and let out a sigh before he turns to her. His eyes hold no amusement any longer as he turns his gaze to the whimpering bundle of rags the women carries. Without a word, he reaches for the blankets, and before the women can stop him, he pulls out by the head a small, under nourished baby, who immediately starts crying. Lifting a hand, the man slaps the screaming babe, and the women starts yelling as she reaches for her week old child, tears shimmering in her blood red eyes. Again, the baby is whacked, and then shaken slightly._

_"Stop it, please, stop it!" The women stops reaching, realizing that it might just mean the baby will get slapped again. The man has by this time released his grip on her, so as to harm the baby more, and he knows she won't run, for she loves her child too much. He looks down at her weak form which lies on the dirt, covered only by mere rags, and his smile chills her as he roughly shoves the baby into her arms. _

_"Get up." With a quick nod, the women stands, and she sways, for she hasn't stood properly for days, not wanting to feel any pain. Biting her lip to hold back a cry, she stumbles after the man's retreating form, down the long corridor. _

_Minutes drag by, and suddenly the plump man stops, and he turns to the women behind him. By instinct, he presses in the key pad's code for the nearby door, and it swings open, revealing a sickening smell. Crinkling his nose, the guard waves at the door, and the women steps through uncertainly. Immediately someone reaches into her arms and takes her child away. With a desperate cry, she again reaches for the child, but is quickly shoved to the other side of the room by a third man, his face hidden by an unnecessary mask and goggles. Fear for herself suddenly can be found in her own eyes, for the first time since this whole ordeal started._

_She hears her baby let out a paroxysm of screams on the other side of the room, and she only vaguely hears her own as the man jams a sharp needle into her sick yellow skin. Another needle finds her, and the same process repeats itself over and over, until, rather suddenly, it all ends. The first guard comes back to her, his face a mask, and he forcefully leads her shaking body back into her cell, where she does not see her baby. _

_Panic floods her system. This couldn't be happening to her; she already lost two loved ones before. But just as tears are about to pour out from her eyelids, the doors open again, and someone throws a small bundle into the cell, as if it were a rag doll. Realizing what's being thrown, the women miraculously catches the child just before she hits the cold, wet, pavement floor, and holds the crying baby close to herself, ignoring the irked glances from her other cell mates as she rocks it slowly on the ground. She hums a tune her mother used to sing her, hoping to calm the child further._

It was quiet.

The wide, dark hallway were bare of any living thing, bare of any movement, and bare of any breathable air. The only thing in the hall, were dying light bulbs-which were blinking nervously-, chipped white paint on the walls, and many, many doors, which led to various rooms. Some of these doors led to a person's death. Others led to a second way towards death. Still, more led to a third way to perish.

Only one door, at the end of the long, blank, hallway, led to life.

The silence broke slowly, and movement cautiously risked itself free, as one door at the opposite end of the life giving door, opened. Musky air clung to the vast space within the hall as the door opened just enough to reveal something that was alive.

A young hedgehog woman stepped into the dark corridor, her eyes scanning for any other movement besides herself. Her dark blue spines were long, and dirty, clammy to the touch, for it had been years since her originally straight spines had been revealed underneath the knots and tangles. Her face looked normal enough; two ears, one nose, one mouth, but her eyes were different, for they were a dark, murderess red in color. The rags she wore indicated a struggle for life, as did her colorful bruises and scratches that covered most of her body. In her arms, a bundle of rags whimpered softly, revealing a small, under nourished baby.

Slowly, the young women crept down the hall, her blood eyes jumping around anxiously, searching for danger. She knew something would happen eventually. She knew someone or something would try and stop her from her escape. Few had ever escaped this deadly building, and those that had were usually recaptured.

And as the women tip-toed her way to the life-giving door, her thoughts repeated themselves over and over, reminding her of what she was doing and why, proving to herself that she had everything figured out, that she could escape, that she had to. She wanted her baby daughter to have a prosperous life, not a life slowly killing you.

She stopped suddenly, and closed her eyes, demanding them not to release tears. Tears were useless here. Memories flooded her previous thoughts of escape enough to force her to concentrate on nothing else, if only for a moment.

With a sharp intake, she forced herself not to break down into memories quiet yet. She needed to escape successfully first before her thoughts could consume her. Slowly, the weary hedgehog opened her dark eyes, staring at the mocking door only 100 yards away from her. When had it become reality, to stand this close to life, without a guard with her?

"I am Friska," she murmured, as she took a step forward. She clutched the child in her arms closer to herself. "And tonight, we're going to escape."

The tile floor beneath her feet suddenly fell in from her extra weight, and Friska winced as alarms wailed in her ears. Cursing, she flew off like a deer, her feet hardly touching the ground as she continued her pursuit for life, not only 75 yards away from her. Voices besides the crying baby's sounded in Friska's ears, and traveled up to her alarmed brain. She knew they were the guards' voices.

50 yards away.

The voices suddenly turned into guards themselves, as they raced towards her in all directions. Doors everywhere, on every side, opened and closed, feet trampled across the dark yellow tile, and chaos appeared to rein, when suddenly, Friska realized that she was only 25 yards away, and she effortlessly pushed through the trained soldiers, how she would never know. Her ears burned as the angry shouting increased, her legs pushed themselves to the limits, and her head throbbed as she tried to penetrate through her brain's confusion. The tile wasn't supposed to sink in there. She had studied it months ago. But she knew she didn't have time to figure out her mistake, as she moved aside from the approaching soldiers.

'Some trained soldiers they are,' she figured. 'They're losing to a weakling in body and spirit.'

A hand, a guard's hand, brushed her arm, and suddenly she felt that she was eating her own words as it made a grab for her, and managed to push her down to the ground. Dazed, she hardly noticed the pain in her bruised side, and could barely hear her child scream as a soldier aimed for the both of them with his gun. Trained dogs growled at the heels of the soldiers, their teeth bared, ready for a fight if either baby or women would try anything funny. A circle of the soldiers circled around the two hedgehogs, their glares covered by their protective yet unnecessary masks, supposedly on to keep them from catching a disease from their work. Friska breathed hard, catching her breath as she skimmed every single soldier and dog, looking for some sort of weakness, if any at all, in just one soldier or dog.

She didn't find anything, and she sat there, on the cold ground, fearing her life, wondering if it had already been over the moment she was born. Her life flashed before her eyes in a second, as she saw her mother rocking her as a baby and cuddling her, and telling her everything would be alright. She saw the baby smile up at her for the first time, the only time she was aware of, and she saw the recent time her baby had been separated from her, for tests, not even a week ago.

Her eyes grew cold, a lump formed in her throat, and her heart turned to stone as she protectively hugged the baby. A brown and black dog, one who was obviously young and still needed training, lunged at her for the small movement, barking savagely as she rolled aside, grabbed onto a soldier's gun, and pulled the trigger before the soldiers even had time to react. A deafening boom sounded in the hall, and chaos resumed as the women managed to stand, bolted towards the door, opened it, and closed it behind her.

She didn't have time to marvel at the landscape, even though it was her first time ever to venture outside. White flakes of various sizes trickled down from the dark, grey sky, covering the thousands of hills in a thick, beautiful and undisturbed, unwrinkled blanket of white. The land seemed at peace and calm, all except the misfit; the women. As she ran through the once perfect white, her whole body instantly chilled by the now angry white flakes. The door behind her opened, she could hear it as the guards and their dogs either ran towards her on feet, or hopped into some hovering vehicle and pursued her that way. Another gun shot ran out, zooming past her dark spines, causing the baby, who had mostly been quiet up until now, to start a full new set of tears. Friska took a chance to search for some form of safety as she continued running, but, by now the white had thickened enough that she could hardly see in front of her. Again, fear ceased her. There wasn't a place to hide, and she couldn't run away forever, she'd eventually be caught.

_'It's already over, it has been,_' she thought, her face pain stricken.

Suddenly stopping, the women looked like she had just given up, when she closed her eyes, murmured something softly under her chilled breath, and disappeared.

She had never attempted it before, so when she managed to reappear somewhere completely different a minute later, she just about fainted from pure relief. Who would've thought, that she would manage to escape from the exact power the guards had given her?

_'Not them, apparently.'_

Looking up, the women was quickly memorized by the tiny flakes that continued floating down from the dark sky, and the women grinned, her first genuine smile ever since her baby had been born. The land rolled on and on, as far as her eyes could see, except, one thing blocked the hills.

A house.

It was a small, comfortable looking home, and smoke climbed slowly from the chimney, forming a small little cloud. All the lights remained off in the house, except for one, on the side of the little home. Looking down at the small baby in her arms, Friska suddenly debated if she should make a life for herself first, before the baby lived with her. Because, what if her life she was to live from now on would never suit her young child?

With a trembling lip, she knew she had to give up her child.

_'Don't cry,'_ her brain whispered. _'Crying never solves anything.'_

Reaching the front door the women quickly gave her child one last squeeze, a kiss on her cold cheek, and then she lay the baby down on the buried "Welcome" mat, although all she saw were the white flakes. She closed her eyes, allowing only a single tear to fall before she knocked on the hard wooden door, and then, ran off, her footsteps quickly being covered by the increasing snow as she retreated further and further from her only comfort; her baby.

_'One day, Friska, you will escape,'_ she heard her mother say. Friska smiled to herself.

_'Guess what, Mother?'_ she thought. The door behind her opened. She kept walking, knowing she wouldn't be seen in the flurry of white. _'I did escape.'_

_

* * *

_I hate to break the epic beginning with an author's note, but I feel I have some explaining to do...You see, I was going to wait and get this story all worked out in my mind before I published it, but, ha, now you know how terribly impatient I am, even with my own brain. So, here we are, with the first chapter of my 'famous' Kyler, only, as I'm sure you can tell by now, this is definitally I rewrite, like so many of my other stories. And as my profile explains, this story, will not be the end of the beloved girl and her story. Because, well, this will be become a series...or at least we all hope. Anyway, I'm tired of rambling! You guys can do the talking from now on lol.

~Ksonic~


	2. The Life Changing Night

List:

Whoo, I'm back! I'm sure you peepz had forgotten I even started this story…Well, I decided, hey, what the heck! I have a writer's block with every other story, so I thought I mise as well write for this story! And I even got the whole thing figured out this morning, _much _to my relief. Thanks you two reviewers for your kind words! They mean a lot! Anyway, onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter two

The Life Changing Night

He hated moisture.

His hatred towards anything wet obviously had to do with his even greater hatred towards water. Having never learned to swim, the blue hedgehog saw water as a death trap; an enemy even Eggman hadn't been able to compete with.

And today, it just _had_ to snow.

Snow. To the hedgehog, snow's definition wasn't the typical "lovely, snowball snowmen-y" fun. No where close. It might've been close to the definition, "wet, evil, and not cool". Sighing, the blue hedgehog turned back from the window where he'd been watching a blizzard outside. He didn't dare even open the door, afraid that wet snow flakes would blow all over his now dry fur. Shivering, he remembered being out in that blizzard, not ten minutes ago. But now, thanks to his fiancée, Amy, he was wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket, and his hot chocolate was coming any minute. A ding from the microwave confirmed this, and Sonic lifted his head wearily as Amy walked into the living room, smiling at him as she set his drink down next to him. Sitting down herself, Amy quickly cuddled into the blue hedgehog and breathed in his scent.

"Feeling better?" Her voice was low, but Sonic heard the love in her voice and his heart gave a tug. This was _his_ girl. Even her voice sent his heart on "spin motion."

The blue hedgehog nodded as he put his arm around her, pulling her closer, making Amy sigh as she closed her eyes. It had been a long day for the both of them; what with all the wedding preparations. But when her man had been at her doorstep ten minutes earlier, her weariness was put aside as she welcomed him in, away from the cold blizzard she knew he hated. A contented sigh from her lover made Amy look up, and she smiled as Sonic drank the warm drink slowly, warming up the rest of his system. Putting the drink back down on its coaster, Sonic gazed down at his future wife and smiled before kissing her forehead.

"Thanks, Ames," he murmured. "I needed that." Amy smirked.

"Yeah, I noticed," she replied as she sat up. Sonic blinked in confusion but allowed her up as she repositioned herself on his chest. "You looked like you were about to die and you had that look in your eyes…"

"Which look?" Sonic questioned. "I have thousands of them, you know." Amy smacked his arm softly and Sonic whined pitifully.

" You know, the look that showed how much you wanted to kill someone right then," Amy answered. Sonic chuckled nervously.

"Well, you know me," he quipped, "anything wet deserves to die anyway." The two shared a laugh, and then it was quite again, except for the constant wind outside the small home. Sonic sighed again and looked out the window.

"I really don't wanna go back out there," he muttered. "But I gotta get home before it gets too much worse, eh?" Amy shook her head, looking stern as she sat up, this time for good.

"You're not going anywhere in that weather, mister," she scolded. Sonic smiled in spite of himself as he watched her walk away, towards the nearby closet. Opening it, the pink hedgehog produced a pillow and a few more blankets, and she walked back up to Sonic and set the items down on the floor by the couch. "It's way too cold and nasty out there for you to be going anywhere," she continued, and she shooed her fiancé off the couch as she tenderly set the blankets down on top of the cushions.

"But, Amy-"

"No buts," Amy exclaimed, and she turned to the blue hedgehog, stubbornness etched all over her face. There was no changing Amy's mind, at this point.

"I don't wanna be a burden to you-"

Sonic reached out and took hold of her hands, rubbing them softly, which usually got Amy to obey whatever he said. The pink hedgehog was not about to give in, however.

"You won't be," she stated, as she attempted to pry Sonic's hands away, flustered. "You can't be that much trouble, now can you?" Sonic's eyes turned playful, and suddenly he was pulling her closer and he placed his lips on hers firmly. Pulling away a few seconds later, he smiled gently as his hand caressed her cheek, and the pink hedgehog sighed contently.

"Now, to answer your question," Sonic whispered softly. "It all depends on how you define 'trouble'." Amy rolled her eyes and pulled away from him.

"You're welcome," she stated, and she walked away, a small smile playing at her lips. It didn't seem to matter how much Sonic kissed her; it still sent butterflies in her stomach.

"Thanks, Ames," she heard Sonic call, and she turned to him just before she left the living room for her own room. The two shared a smile.

"Love you," Amy said.

"You know I do more," he quipped, and he winked at her playfully as she left the room. "'Night."

"Ni-"

Her reply was cut short by the sudden sound of a knock at the door.

The two exchanged a look, first of confusion, and ending with concern. Curious, Amy started making her way to the door, but Sonic cut in front of her, his look speaking levels.

"Let me," he whispered. "You never know what it could be." Amy crossed her arms across her chest, but she allowed him to slowly pry open the door. Sometimes, he could just be so darn annoying with his cautiousness. Eggman might be dead, but that never seemed to stop Sonic from fearing the worst when mysterious things happened, such as this. Sonic groaned suddenly, and Amy looked up, and immediately started laughing. The blue hedgehog was covered head to toe in wet snow, and his look said it all.

"Oh, Sonic!" Amy laughed, and she walked up towards the door and peered out. She saw nothing but the endless white, and heard nothing but the harsh wind, the angry explanations from Sonic beside her, as he attempted to wipe the snow off his fur, and a very, very faint murmuring. She just about closed the door, thinking about how to dry Sonic off in record time, when again, she heard the soft murmuring down by her feet, and she looked down.

Amy's sharp gasp brought Sonic back to the real world and away from his moist fur, and he blinked at her in confusion as she bent down by the welcome mat, and came back up with a bundle of blankets in her arms. Sonic raised an eyebrow. Who would leave _anything_ on the porch this time of night, and during such a storm?

"What is it-?" he began, but Amy suddenly shoved the pile of dirty blankets into his arms and ran out into the blizzard.

"Hello?" she called frantically. "Hello, is there anybody out here?" Sonic's eyes increased, and he just about dropped the dirt-covered bundle, when he dared look down at it for a second. Removing a section of the wet blankets, the hedgehog just about let out a shriek of surprise, but having always been used to surprises, he kept his scream in, and stared at the thing before him in wonder.

It was a baby.

Suddenly, Sonic understood why Amy had run out into the storm, and he gently set the baby and its blankets down on the floor before running out to join her. What kind of a parent would just leave their baby out in the cold like that? Things like this only happened in the movies, right?

The two called a few more times, but all they saw was white, and more white. Any possible tracks had already been covered, and their own tracks were about gone themselves. Leading Amy back towards the house, the two escaped the blizzard and shut the door firmly behind them, both panting, not from tiredness, but from unbelief. A baby, dropped off at their house?

"Sonic, what're we going to do?" Amy exclaimed. She gently picked the baby back up from the cold ground and began to open the blankets back up as Sonic rubbed his forehead, murmuring something incoherent under his breath. Amy looked up at him expectantly. He was the leader, after all.

The baby let out a small gurgle, and two pairs of eyes were suddenly on it, absorbing the baby slowly. It was a light blue in color, they realized, with dark blue eyes. Pulling away the blankets completely, a thin one-piece outlined the baby's tiny ribs, and Amy let out a little cry, just seeing the ribs poking out as they did. With a quick check, Amy determined the baby a girl, and she felt tears come to her eyes. This baby was dirty, skinny; in the worst shape she'd seen anyone in, in a long time. And that was saying something, having seen Sonic with broken ribs, permanent scars, blood-shot eyes, and blood all over his coat.

"Sonic, this baby needs help," Amy managed to choke out. Tears were running down her face now. "Just look at her! She's so helpless and dirty and skinny and-"

Sonic stayed silent, as he stared down at the small bundle in Amy's arms. A new, bemused look crossed his face, and at first, Amy didn't know what to think of it. She was just as startled as he was, but somehow, his look portrayed a look of helplessness. She had never seen it on his face. He had always managed to look so sure of himself.

"Sonic?"

"I don't know," Sonic replied, his voice barely audible, his gaze still on the baby. "I…" He forced himself to turn away, feeling helpless. He didn't know one thing about a baby. "Should we…feed it?"

"How?" Amy asked. "Hedgehog babies can't drink cow milk. I would hope you would know that."

"Don't we have, like…I don't know, crackers, maybe, for her? Can babies eat crackers at her age?" Sonic turned back to the baby, suddenly wondering how old the child was. She looked like a newborn, with her skinny appearance, but he had no idea, to tell the truth.

"I don't think we should risk it," Amy whispered, clutching the baby a little closer to her. "She's so small…" Sonic sighed and paced around a bit, thinking hard. He would _not_ let this baby die in Amy's house. They had to do something, and quick.

Suddenly, the baby began to whimper, and then warm tears were cascading down her face. Sonic looked absolutely horrified.

"Hey, honey, it's okay, sweetie," Amy tried, and she began to jiggle the baby in her arms, looking just about as frightened as the baby. "Call my mom, Sonic," Amy ordered, and then she was back to comforting the small child as Sonic raced for the phone.

Five minutes later, the young child was in the sink, which was filled with bubbles and warm water. Surprised that the baby wasn't throwing a tantrum by getting a bath, Amy gently rubbed the dirt away from the baby's frail form, and was even more careful when it came to the child's random bruises and cuts that surrounded her body.

Obviously, in this storm, Amy's mother hadn't been able to come by and help the shocked hedgehogs, but she had been able to give some advice.

"First," Barbara had advised. It was clear in her voice that she was just as shaken up as Sonic and Amy. "Give the baby a bath. Wash away all that dirt. And give her a bit of crushed cracker, or, even better, if you have rice cereal or something, feed very small portions of that to her. Make sure its wet though; it'll go down her throat easier." Luckily for Sonic and Amy, Amy did have some rice cereal, and she watched the baby hurriedly eat the cereal from Sonic's hand as she continued bathing the child. The child looked relatively at ease, but Amy could still sense her fear and lack of trust as she wiped a cloth over the girl's spines. Sighing, Amy glanced at Sonic from the corner of her eye. He didn't look so shocked anymore, if not a little pleased to be able to help as the child reached for another handful of cereal. A few grains fell into the sink as Amy rubbed the baby's ear gently, noting the dried blood covering a good part of it. She winced at the sight.

"Sonic?" The blue hedgehog looked up from the baby, his attention on Amy, and she hesitated, before she continued. "I…I wonder where she came from," she spit out, and she looked back down at the child, still eating, thankfully not chocking. Sonic shrugged as he watched her lift the baby out of the sink. Reaching for a hand towel, the blue hedgehog handed it to her as she wiped the confused baby, who appeared taken aback of having been moved. Tears formed in the baby's eyes, and suddenly she was crying out hysterically, and Amy bit her lip, hardly keeping in her own tears. It had been such a long day, and now there was a baby in her arms that didn't have anyone to take care of her except her and Sonic.

"Hey," Amy whispered softly to the baby, hugging her closer to herself. "Don't cry, honey. It's alright, I'm here…"

Sonic bit his lip. This was so much to take in. He hadn't even seen a baby in…how long?

"Diaper, maybe?" Sonic mused, trying not to look too stupid as Amy sighed.

"She doesn't have one," Amy replied sadly. "She only came with that faded one piece thing."

'_Oh, well that's just grand,' _Sonic growled to himself, not voicing his thoughts out loud. Looking at Amy sadly, the blue hedgehog was suddenly surprised to see a warm glow in her eyes, even as she continued rocking the child, looking venerable and tired. He raised a confused eyebrow, for he usually didn't see that look come across her face, unless he was, like, kissing her, or something.

"Uh, Amy?" He waved a hand in front of her face, and she looked up from the crying child, who, suddenly stopped crying, just as suddenly as she had started. Puzzled, the two looked back at the baby, who whimpered softly, looking about ready to start bawling again.

"Maybe if we don't make eye contact…" Amy mused, suddenly recalling that if a baby avoided eye contact, that usually wasn't a good sign. Panic crossed her features, but then she noticed that Sonic was still watching the baby as she settled down obediently in her arms. The pink hedgehog blinked, now even more confused, but she shrugged. At least she had stopped crying. Maybe they could finally get some rest themselves, and she slowly began to walk to her room, where she tenderly set the baby down on her bed. The baby shuffled and opened her eyes nervously, as if she expected the worst, but one look at the blue hedgehog seemed to settle the girl back down and she yawned tiredly, before once again closing her eyes.

"How do you do that?" Amy's voice was hardly even a whisper, but even so, Sonic heard it, and he shrugged, knowing what she was really asking.

"Beats me," he replied, shrugging once again. "But if it works, it works." Amy sighed and yawned suddenly, leaning against Sonic for support as she shut her eyes. The blue hedgehog put his arms around her.

"Think she's good?" Sonic questioned. Amy nodded into his shoulder.

"For now," she replied softly. "But you never know with babies." She opened her eyes and stared down at the frail form lying on her bed. "Sonic?" The blue hedgehog looked up, and stroked Amy's spines in a relaxing way. "Isn't she just…cute?" Sonic stopped stroking her spine's for a second, startled. He hadn't expected Amy to say that, of all things. But then he smiled warmly at her, understanding.

"Yeah," he murmured. "She is cute."


	3. Kyler

Umm…yeah. So I decided to redo this chapter. Because I really didn't like the last chapter. Heh. So yes, thank you for those of you who seem to like the old chapter and read/reviewed it, and thanks old reviewers too! Here's the new chapter version xD. Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter three

Kyler

Considering that the baby was as young as she was, Amy was actually amazed that she had managed a six hour night of sleeping. Even Sonic, who didn't know a thing about infants, figured he'd only get about three hours of sleep. But the baby didn't seem to be one for crying, which made both hedgehogs grateful, in a worried sort of way.

When Sonic woke up the next morning on the living room couch, the first thing he noticed was that Amy was already up, clutching the small child to her as she stared out the window. The second thing he noticed, was that it was still snowing like crazy, and that Amy was frowning as she watched the white flakes swirl around in the wind, then finally come to a rest on the chilly white-covered ground. Getting up from the couch silently, Sonic walked towards Amy and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Not seeming surprised by his sudden appearance, Amy continued gazing out the window, worry dancing in her eyes.

"We need to get the baby to a hospital," she murmured knowingly to Sonic, even though she knew the blue hedgehog was very well aware of this. "The fact that she hardly let out a whimper last night makes me wonder if she's just too weak to be crying." She looked up at Sonic then, her emotions laid out in a neat orderly way in her eyes. "Sonic…I don't want a dead baby in this home. I couldn't bear it." Sonic nodded solemnly, and he wrapped his arm around Amy's waist. In the corner of his eyes, he watched the baby in Amy's arms let out a small yawn, and a sudden pain in his heart forced him to look away.

"She won't die," Sonic stated firmly, and he tightened his grip on his fiancée. "I won't let her."

'Sonic…" The pink hedgehog turned to the blue hedgehog, tears forming in her eyes by now. "We…can't control Kyler's fate. What if-"

"You named it?" Sonic's eyes enlarged, and he almost backed away, a bit fearful of Amy's sudden love for the child. "Amy, you know naming things only makes you more attached to it! We can't afford to get attached to the baby and then watch it…_die_." He shuddered at his word choice, and looked back out towards the snow storm.

"She's not an _it_, Sonic," Amy replied, a bit forcefully. "And, if the child makes it…I was kind of hoping…" Amy turned her gaze away from the window, and pulled away from Sonic's warmth. "But, of course, if you don't want a baby messing up our marriage in a few months, I understand. I don't need to have her, I mean-"

"Amy," Sonic interrupted, and he walked back towards her, forcing himself not to look out the dreaded window. "Are you saying…you want to adopt her?" At first, Amy only stared ahead of her fiancé, but then she was nodding slowly.

"Yes," she whispered, looking back up at Sonic. "I would like to. I mean, she arrived on _my_ doorstep. What are the odds? There are so many other doors the baby could've been dropped off under, and just the fact that fate choose _me_…"

Something triggered in Sonic's brain, but he wasn't sure what. Maybe it was that, if this baby lived, _he'd_ be her father. Suddenly a bit panicky, the blue hedgehog muttered something about needing something to eat, and he stumbled into Amy's kitchen where he poured himself a bowl of cereal. It wasn't that he didn't like kids. Heck, he loved them. But there was something about having a baby to take care of…before he and Amy were even married. He could see the press mixing up the story now.

"Sonic and Amy having a bit too much passion!" the news paper would read. "Marriage in two months, and yet, three month old baby already here!"

Before the blue hedgehog could stop himself, he groaned, and Amy shot him a look of, 'We don't have to, you know.' But, instead of agreeing with her facial gesture, to not adopt the baby, he was surprised when he said,

"Na, Ames. We'll keep her." Brightening, Amy glanced back down at the baby whose name was suddenly Kyler, and, once again, Sonic's heart gave a tug. But he ignored it as he forced a spoonful of cereal into his mouth and listened to the wind pound the small house as if it were nothing more than a house made of straw.

_I'll huff and puff and blow your house down!_

Oh joy. This was going to be a long day, stuck in this house without the freedom to run.

The baby gurgled in Amy's arms, and Sonic turned slightly to the sound, immediately aware of Amy's look of concern. They needed to get the child to the hospital, and soon. Frowning, Sonic gazed out the window for a second, debating his options.

'_She won't die. I won't let her.'_

Shoving his forgotten bowl of cereal away from him, the blue hedgehog turned to Amy, his face full of determination.

"Ames," he said, and she turned to him, blinking. "We're gonna get her to the hospital, no matter what." Looking about ready to argue, Amy opened her mouth to ask how they'd do that, when it was snowing too hard to drive there, but Sonic broke her thoughts by continuing. "Let's see if we can start driving her there. I mean, the snow has slowed down, a little bit at least." The two hedgehogs looked out the window simultaneously, both noticing that yes, the snow was slowing down, unless they were imagining it, which was highly likely as well.

Amy turned back to Sonic then, blinking, not knowing how else to react. But her eyes betrayed her inner thoughts, and Sonic smiled weakly, reaching out and kissing her forehead lightly.

"You're welcome," he murmured as he pulled away, and he let out a cocky grin, before turning towards Amy's garage.

A few minutes later, the two adult hedgehogs and infant were crowded in Amy's little ground-plane, Amy's smile hesitant yet excited, Sonic's somewhat forced as he turned on the engine, wishing they could at least walk to the hospital, but knowing it was impossible.

Slowly, the garage door opened, scraping ice off as it did so, and Sonic backed out of the garage slowly, alarmed as the snow flakes immediately exposed the whole ground-plane. Beside him, Amy visibly tensed, and Sonic reached out a reassuring hand, resting it on her knee for a second.

"We'll be fine," he whispered. He dared not look at the young one and tell her the same.

Amy nodded slowly, and she focused her gaze back on the baby, putting her full trust in Sonic as he slowly drove away from the warm home and into the blizzard of snow, where they were to find the hospital. Or so they hoped.

The drive was in silence. Sonic forced himself to go slowly on the icy ground, and he bit his lip in frustration when he couldn't see. He knew that running in wind could get dangerous, but that was at least fun. There was just nothing appealing with snow though. It was cold and wet and annoying…heck, if it hadn't been for snow, this child which lay in his fiancée's arms, this baby Amy called _Kyler_, would already be nice and warm in a hospital crib. But when he turned to Amy, all he saw on her face was tender love, a look he was used to seeing only when she looked at him.

Again, he bit his lip. What was she doing, staring down at that baby, that kid who would die in her arms if they didn't get to the hospital quick enough? She would only hurt herself. Shifting his glance, the blue hedgehog focused on the baby hedgehog, but he didn't dwell on the child, because for some reasons it made him want to…smile. The baby was cute, Sonic realized, but he didn't want to think that. Thinking such things only led to disaster. It hadn't with Amy, somehow. But he had found his true love once, and he wasn't willing to put all of his heart into this light baby blue hedgehog like Amy was. He wasn't willing to let himself get hurt.

Reaching a red light (for somehow, the light systems were still going strong, even in the snowstorm), Sonic allowed the car a slow halt, and as he tried staring out the window covered in snow, he grinned, for right in front of them, was somehow the hospital. Somehow. No accidents, no problems…

_'Thanks.'_

"Ames." The blue hedgehog side glanced at the pink hedgehog, and when she looked up at him, he motioned towards the looming building, as he turned into the parking lot. "Look," he murmured, loving the look of pride and joy she was sending his way when she realized where they were. "We made it."

For the first time all morning, Amy giggled.

"Yes," she answered. "Good job, Sonic."

Parking, the blue hedgehog quickly opened the doors, and the two plus the infant piled out, practically running through the cold flakes towards the building, not even bothering to lock a car which would soon be buried by white powder and hidden soon enough.

Five seconds later, they were in the main lobby, Sonic cupping his hands and blowing warm air through them, Amy cuddling the baby closer to herself as she immediately set out for the attendant not far away, watching the couple with curious eyes.

"May I help you?" the young mongoose asked politely, secretly worried, for if someone had risked their necks to go through such a blizzard…

"Um…" Amy's voice trailed off, not knowing how to start, and she gazed down at the too-quite child in arms with worry. Sonic spoke for her.

"Last night this baby just…showed up on Amy's doorstep," Sonic stared. "The kid…well, heh. We don't know much 'bout 'em. And it doesn't look too healthy. It arrived in nothing but a shabby ol' blanket."

The attendant blinked, cocking her head in confusion slightly. Well, this _was_ new.

"No note?" she asked.

"Nothin'," Sonic replied nonchalantly, shrugging. "Just a blanket."

"Huh." It was obvious the brown mongoose had never dealt with something this…odd. "I assume you just wanna get her checked up?" she asked slowly. "See how old she is, roughly, and all that? As I'm sure you'd imagine, the hospital's pretty slow right now, and we don't have many doctors in, but there's probably room for you to be seen in a few minutes." For the first time since Sonic had begun the conversation, Amy looked up, smiling.

"That'd be lovely," she answered.

A few minutes later, just like the mongoose had estimated, Sonic and Amy were seen by a brown lab, the dog's muzzle a bit white from aging. With a smile, the doctor was about to welcome them, when he realized who he was about to talk to, and he stared down at the baby in Amy's arms. He raised an eyebrow.

"When did you-" he started, but Sonic cut him off quickly by saying,

"She ain't ours. We found her last night on Amy's doorstep." The doctor nodded slowly, understanding.

"Ah, I see," he said, looking at the child. "So you're worried about her health?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Sonic answered, smiling weakly. "She's real quite, and she hasn't eaten properly since who knows when. Ya can see she doesn't look the best." The hound rubbed his chin in thought.

"No, she certainly doesn't look like she's in the best of shape," the dog replied back, thinking. "Why don't we start by weighing her, doing some basic blood tests…the things we do with newborns." Sonic shrugged.

"Whatever ya think, Doc," he answered, and he watched as Amy, almost reluctantly handed the child to the dog, who smiled reassuringly at the pink one, saying,

"I'll be back with her in a few minutes with the results. Hold tight now." And with the child the dog left.

A few silent moments went by, Amy sighing and Sonic periodically staring out the window or at the clock, wishing the time would go faster. But for some reason, everything seemed to be in slow motion. There was nothing special to observe either, so he had no idea why suddenly everything was slowing down, something he almost always hated. He turned to Amy, who stared out the snowy window, an odd look written across her face, one Sonic had trouble reading. He reached out a hand, resting it on her shoulder.

"You 'k?" he practically whispered.

She nodded. "Can you imagine it?" she whispered back, keeping her eyes to the blizzard outside. "Can you imagine being Kyler, out there in the cold, watching your…caretaker just, leave you?"

Sonic forced himself to stay focused, and to not notice the name Kyler. It was starting to bother him, for he still wasn't too sure the kid would live another day. But he frowned at the thought, the picture Amy had put in his mind. He squeezed her shoulder.

"I'm sure the Mom had a reason," he replied back. "There's always a reason."

"But is it always a good one?" Amy pondered. She turned to Sonic, smiling sadly. "I hope she'll be alright, Sonic. I…don't want anything to happen to her."

'_She won't die. I won't let her.'_

Sonic bit his lip.

"Neither do I."

The door opened then, and in stepped the doctor, the child in his arms, and Amy hastily looked up towards the hound, anxious for the news. His look was semi morbid, but also a bit relived, and Amy's heart pounded in her chest as he explained.

"You guys got the baby here right on time. One more day and she probably wouldn't have made it." Sonic heard Amy gasp beside him, and he made sure he was holding his hand as the doctor continued. "She's extremely underweight, for her age. She's about…oh, I'd say a month old, or so. She's got a few health problems, so I'm going to want her to stay the night here, maybe even two nights, but I don't think it's anything we've got to be too serious on." He smiled for real then, and Amy sighed in relief, putting a hand to her chest.

"But…" The doctor's smile vanished, replaced by a confused look. "I noticed a few things…For starters, she's doing really well, for being so…underweight. Just an observation. So she's probably used to being practically starved." Amy's hand grew tense in his. Motherly love. "Also…" The dog paused here and he looked up the ceiling, trying to figure out how he should word his next sentence. "Her…she…she's different. She has a different blood type. I've never seen it before."

"But, aren't there only four blood types?" Sonic questioned, confused, and the doctor nodded slowly.

"I thought so," he mused. "But it doesn't appear that way for her."

Amy's face looked worried.

"Is it bad that she has a new blood type?" she asked. "Is it…will it hurt her?"

The doctor shrugged, a frown on his muzzle.

"I don't know."


	4. Sacrifices

Chapter four

Sacrifices

"Yes Mom…I know, isn't it just wonderful? Sonic-…well yes, I know. But we'll be married in a few months, and he's always around anyway except in the evening…"

Sonic was hardly aware of the conversation on the phone between Amy and her mother. All he knew was his own thoughts as he stared down at the baby in the crib the hospital had provided for the last three days, while the baby Amy called Kyler was being taken care of.

But today was the day the hospital declared the girl-the baby called Kyler- _could _leave the hospital and eventually be welcomed into Amy, and consequently, Sonic's home. Sonic sighed, closing his eyes, filtering out the phone conversation not too far from him. Sure, the baby was cute, but…he didn't want the next few months any more stressful than they were already bound to be. A wedding was hard enough to pull off, according to pessimistic Howard, and Sonic had heard _plenty_ of nightmarish stories about raising a baby-much less a newborn.

"She's not a newborn anymore, Sonic," Amy had told the blue hedgehog when he had touched on the subject with her. "She's only small like one, but the doctor says she's a month old."

"That's still a newborn to me," Sonic had mumbled, but Amy had pretended not to hear as she bottle-fed the child who had been sitting in her lap at the time. And since then, Sonic hadn't even tried to explain what he felt to her. She was a woman; she was a natural mother who would swoon over any baby. He had hoped she'd change her mind after all the stress of paying for hospital bills that should've partially gone to the wedding, but it hadn't fazed her in the slightest. She seemed set on caring for the baby that had arrived on _her_ doorstep, _not_ the neighbor's.

And who was Sonic to argue over caring for an individual?

A click nearby caught Sonic's attention, and he realized that Amy had finished her phone call. Turning to her, he smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but she smiled back, giggling.

"Oh, Sonic," she sighed happily. "Mom's all for the idea of adopting Kyler! She says she can't wait to meet her." Sonic nodded, trying to look pleased.

"That's good," he said, turning to the window in the baby's hospital room. A light frost covered the windowsill, hardly allowing room for the whole view, featuring seven inches of pure white snow. The picture made the cobalt hedgehog smile, if only for a second, and suddenly Amy's warm hand was in his.

"You don't have to do this just for me, you know," she whispered, staring out the window along with him, her head resting on his shoulder. Her voice sounded almost hesitant, and Sonic squeezed her hand, reassuring her.

"I'll be fine," he answered. "_We'll_ be fine." He turned to see her beaming up at him, and she reached up and hugged him tightly, reminding him of the days when she used to lunge at him. He chuckled, hugging her back, enjoying her presence within his arms. Maybe the new baby wouldn't get in the way too much. Maybe it was just as well. After all, the baby had arrived on _Amy's_ doorstep.

* * *

"What?"

Of course. She hadn't thought about them not giving her the baby straight away.

"As I said, Ms. Rose," the doctor repeated, testing patience, "the child cannot just become yours, just like that. I'm sure you're aware of the paperwork, at least?" The pink hedgehog nodded her head, Sonic's warm hand in hers being the only thing keeping her calm. "The adoption agency has to make sure your home would suit the baby. Knowing you and your fiancée, I don't foretell many problems, but it will take at least a few days before they'll hand her over. Likewise, you'll have to go through the court system; just a few more papers, lawyer talks, blah, blah, blah, and then she's yours!" the hound smiled genuinely at the couple.

"And the waiting list?" Sonic piped up, surprising Amy with his apparent interest.

"Well, in your rather odd circumstance, no one has their eyes set on the baby," the doctor explained, his hands folded neatly on the table. "So I would assume you'd automatically not be put on a list. You're basically the only two who know of the baby's existence and want to adopt her." Sonic nodded, going quiet again.

"I suspect we'll have to hire a lawyer to deal with the case?" Amy questioned, and the doctor nodded.

"I'd think so, yes," he replied. "I haven't been in the middle of many adoptions myself, even at my age, so I'm not completely sure. But look it up or something, and I'm sure a lawyer would be generally necessary, yes."

"Oh," Amy continued, the questions seeming to pile up in her mind. "What would the cost be to adopt her legally?" The doctor bit his lip in thought.

"In your case? Well, you'll probably use a foster care system, and going through foster care is usually free." Amy let out a sigh of relief; unbeknownst to her, so did Sonic.

"And where will Kyler live while we get this all figured out?" Amy asked, growing worried. She hadn't really thought through the whole process, she realized.

"We'll place her in a foster home for a few days," the doctor assured. "The hospital will pay for that, since no one 'owns' her, so to speak."

"Can you arrange that?" Amy asked.

"Very easily. We have files for mentally handicapped children and adoption children that parents abandon here after birth. The latter isn't too common, but it has happened, believe me." Amy nodded, still trying to take all the information in. "Any more questions?"

"Don't think so…" The doctor stood from his seat, as did the hedgehogs.

"Well then, I wish you good luck," the doctor concluded, smiling. "I'll have one of the nurses take the child to a foster home, were she'll be well cared for until you and Sonic can get everything worked out yourselves." Amy grinned, excitement welling.

"Thank you, doctor," she said. She turned to Sonic then. "Thank you too, honey."

Sonic merely smirked.

"Think of it as an early Christmas present," he quipped. And Amy laughed.

When the two arrived at Amy's house later that afternoon, Amy immediately got online, looking for information on adoption through the foster care. Sonic, still getting used to the idea, headed to her kitchen and made himself a quick chili-dog, for at Amy's house, she was always prepared. A minute later he was back in the living room, smacking his lips as he went for the second chili dog he'd made.

"Fim amyfhing?" he asked with his full mouth, and Amy rolled her eyes before nodding her head.

"Yeah," she answered thoughtfully. "Looks like a lot of paperwork…" She faced Sonic then, pretending not to notice chili sauce all over his muzzle. "Take a look." With an impatient huff, Sonic bent down to the computer's level, scanning the page while munching on his food happily, trying not to think too hard about how soon he'd be a father.

"Looks like a piece of cake," he stated when he finished reading and eating his lunch. "Just a few interviews, paperwork, a talk with the court…as long as we don't fret much over it, I doubt it'll take long, especially without having to worry about a waiting list."

"What if they search for Kyler's mother before saying she can be ours?" Amy asked timidly. "I mean…that would be the best. To _find_ the mother." Sonic shrugged.

"Then we only have a few more days wait," he replied calmly, seeming way too patient for always being the opposite. "The mom dropped the baby off here anyway, and for a reason. If they did find her, she wouldn't ask for the kid back. It's all good, Ames." He glanced down at her worried face, and he sighed, kissing the top of her head reassuringly before towards the front door at a walk, rather than a run. "Chill, Amy. Everything will work out." Amy sighed sadly. "Now, I'm goin' on a run." Amy whirled around to face him.

"But we should look this up together!" she protested. "Kyler will be your daughter too."

"She's not mine yet," he said to her, a bit forcefully. "And I need a run."

"It's all snowy out," she reminded him. "And you hate getting wet." Sonic stopped mid-step to the door then, sighing.

"Ames…I just, need a run…an' you got towels. An' I'll be back before supper." Before Amy could protest, the hedgehog was out the door into the white wonderland beyond, and the pink hedgehog sighed, defeated.

Was this a good idea? To adopt the child? Sonic didn't seem up for it, and Amy really didn't want to cause any drama to their relationship. They'd already gone through so much in their love journey…why make it harder?

A tear rolled down her eyes as she exited out of the internet and logged off. For a long while, she could only manage to stare at the computer screen, empty, except for her log-on button with a picture of herself and Sonic within.

Maybe their marriage would consist of just the two of them for years. Maybe, even though Sonic didn't mind kids, they'd only have one, if that. She recalled conversations regarding children before with the hedgehog, all of which had been a bit awkward.

"Kids?" Sonic would ask, sounding unsure. "Erm…sure, yeah, maybe one or two. But what we really need is a dog." And then he'd avoid the topic at hand as he'd go on and on about how perfect their dog would be, how the mutt would make up for loneliness and motherly-affection that Amy believed she would need to express sometime in her life.

She closed her eyes tightly, clenching her fists. Sonic could be so stubborn sometimes, and so convincing at the same time. If he didn't want a kid, then neither of them would ever be happy.

Breathing in deeply to keep the tears at bay, the hedgehog managed to stand, and then slowly made her way towards the kitchen to make herself lunch. That at least, Sonic would be alright with.

* * *

Snow was falling in every direction.

No, it wasn't _really_ snowing. But to Sonic, it certainly seemed like it. As he ran through the foothills snow flew, getting the blue hedgehog cold and wet, only frustrating him further. He really didn't want to be irked with Amy. Actually, irk seemed like a strong word for what he was actually feeling.

Regret, worry, anxiety…now _those_ words fit. Regret for promising the baby to Amy, saying it was fine and he'd live, worry for not knowing a thing about raising a baby, let alone a kid the baby would someday soon grow to be, anxiety for just being nervous, for soon, his life would turn upside down.

He already knew his life would change when he proposed to Amy three months earlier. He already knew she'd want a baby sometime in their marriage…but they weren't even married yet. Why did they need to start their marriage off learning how to set up a sleep schedule for a baby? Why did they need to start their lives together with a baby running around the heels, taking away their privacies and lives and…_everything_?

The hedgehog's speed intensified, sending snow backward ten feet instead of six. If only he could release all this uncertainty, if only he could vent, if only Amy would _understand_…

But she was a girl. A girl who wanted a family. And there was no changing a girl's mind once it was set; Sonic had learned this multiple times the hard way.

Looking back to only last night seemed like a century ago. Last night, he and Amy had started off alone, and there hadn't been any talk of a baby. And then the sudden knock had changed everything.

He wanted to tell Amy that they couldn't do it- _he_ couldn't do it. But he knew it would kill her inside if she had to give up the baby she had only just received. And love was all about sacrifices, right? After all, the first thing he'd done when first in love with Amy was offer his life in replacement of hers. Sacrifices from both of them binded them together; kept them strong through their trails and joys.

Looking up in the cloudy sky, Sonic could barely see the setting sun, and he sighed, knowing his short-lived run needed to be over. Turning mid-stride, he headed back towards Amy's, imagining her smiles as she'd tell him over dinner what she'd learn about adoption through the foster care center.

And even though inside he was screaming, and outside he was running for his life, the blue hedgehog smiled. Because, really, when it all came down to it, he wouldn't change his mind. He couldn't say no.

If Amy was happy, so was he.

And that was that.

Arriving at Amy's doorstep, Sonic took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto his face as he gripped the doorknob. Even though his life had suddenly plunged into uncertainty, he'd be okay. He had to stay strong for Amy.

The door opened with a slight creak, and Sonic rushed in, closing the door behind him.

"Man," he muttered, shaking the snow from his quills. "It's cold out there." He looked up from the floor, looking for Amy's figure either in the kitchen or on the computer, and when he found her in the kitchen, he ran up to her, still shivering as he placed his cold hands on her warm shoulders.

"Sonic, that's cold!" she scolded, swiping his hands away.

"But you're warm," he whined, and Amy scoffed, pointing to the nearby cupboard full of clean towels and blankets as she stirred the soup that was apparently for dinner. Obliging, Sonic headed to the cupboard and took out a warm blanket, quickly enveloping himself within its warm cotton.

It smelled of Amy.

"So, whatcha been up to?" he asked. "Learn anything online?"

"No," she whispered, stirring the soup, avoiding eye contact. Sonic blinked in surprise, and he jumped up on the counter, sitting on the cold surface.

"Well, why not?" he inquired. "Ya want the kid soon, don't ya?"

"Yes. But you don't. So I decided not to bother."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not like we have to adopt her ourselves-"

"Amy, I said we could-"

"But you don't want one!" Amy swiveled around, facing her fiancé, tears in her eyes. "You don't want one, and we won't be happy with one so early on, so why bother? Why adopt if it'll ruin our relationship before we're even married?"

"Amy, can't a guy be nervous?" His voice was pleading. "I'm just scared. We can have a kid."

"But not so early, right?" she spat. "Sonic, we've already had so much time to ourselves!"

"No!" Sonic cried, finally breaking. He jumped down from the counter, taking hold of Amy's shoulders, the blanket falling to the ground between them. "No, Amy. I could never have enough time with you. I love you more than life itself, more than _running_, and you think I would let some kid get in between what we have? Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you, Ames. An' I want you to be happy, alright? I don't care what I have to do. Just…be happy."

Silence clung to the air. It was as if snow was falling within the home, and suddenly Amy was trembling, crying, and Sonic pulled her into his arms, not even knowing that he was shaking too. Tears surged from Amy's eyes, spilling to the ground, spilling into Sonic's chest, but the blue hedgehog didn't mind the wet, warm tears.

"We're going to be okay," Sonic whispered amidst it all. "We're going to be okay, and we're going to adopt Kyler, and everything will be okay."

"Everything?" Her question was practically lost within Sonic's chest, within the tears, within the snow-silent kitchen.

"Everything. I promise."

And she believed him.

* * *

Pft. Yeah, I know. I finally updated. Actually, I made a few modifications to this story a few days ago, and I redid chapter 3 (you're going to want to reread it to understand this chapter, in case you haven't already figured that out.

And don't worry. I'll be putting some more attention on this story and my Tails one (which has recently undergone a title change). Oh, and the drabble series too, although it won't be on the top of my list anymore. Anyway, thanks for reading everyone!

~Ksonic~


	5. The Homecoming

Chapter five

The Homecoming

It was nearly midnight when she finally made it back to her apartment. Shoving the key into the lock, she fumbled with the door for a moment, before it swung open to reveal her small yet satisfying apartment room, which had more space than her cell had had, contenting her. A large heap of books sat in the corner by her pitiful bed, books about politics, animals, reading, writing…anything. Books on all subjects.

A month ago, she hadn't even known how to say her ABC's all the way through. The cell back in the laboratory hadn't even considered teaching the inmates how to spell their names. But here she was, only a month later, and she could read. Not very well, especially for a women who looked to be about twenty, but she was making progress, and she was proud of herself. For once in her life, she was doing something on her own accord; she wasn't locked up in a ten by ten foot cell with fifteen other patients, where her only comfort was the child.

The child. Slowly, the women sat down on her bed, hardly noticing it sag underneath her weight which was also starting to improve since her escape. There were nights when the women would lie in bed and stare up at the cracked ceiling, wondering what had become of her daughter, what _would_ become of her. Had the people kept the child? Had they not even heard the knock? Was the baby…?

_'No,' _she scolded herself, getting up from her bed and heading to the pile of books. She picked one up randomly. _'No. Don't think about such things. The child will be just fine, wherever she ends up. Better off than she would've been…' _

The book was about how to spell and read easy words. Technically, it was for kindergartners, but she didn't even know what that term meant, so she had decided to take it from the library down the street, and learn how to spell the simple things, like 'for' and 'by' and 'his' and 'her.' The textbook had a way of confusing the women, and she often threw books of all kinds against the wall, frustrated, angry, for even just looking around in the city, she knew she was the _only_ person her age who couldn't spell her own name, who couldn't read adult-level books.

And that's why she stole. Because she couldn't even think about getting what people called 'jobs', where she'd be expected to know how to do more than growl at everyone who bumped into her, startling her and making her feel venerable and in danger. Until recently, she hadn't even known what the term 'job' meant. She was a child living an adult life, living in a world controlled and run by adults who expected things she didn't even know existed until recently. She had known the lab had cut her off from the real world. But she had had no idea to what extent.

A knock on the door startled the women, and she looked up in surprise. Without making a sound, she eased her way towards it, gazing into the small hole in the door to see who or what awaited her.

"Police," a voice from outside stated coldly. She shrank back, biting her lip as she looked around her room, looking for an exit.

It was times like these, when she still felt like a mouse in a ball, running farther and farther from danger, and yet somehow being caught in the end.

* * *

"Case dismissed." The sound of hammer against wood echoed in the practically empty court room, and Amy beamed, looking to her side at Sonic who stood beside her. Turning to his fiancée, he smiled right back at her, gazing into her eyes full of hope and promise. He hadn't seen her this happy in a long time, which wasn't surprising. A month ago, a small undernourished baby Amy called Kyler had arrived on the pink hedgehog's doorstep, changing her and Sonic's life from complicated (for there was a wedding still being planned), to chaotic, and all within the spam of one second. And finally, _finally_, the battle had been one. After thousands of papers to sign, hundreds of phone calls from professionals, dozens of late nights for both hedgehogs, Kyler was officially, _Amy's_.

It was kind of ironic to Sonic, in that it had taken a long month to finally manage to get all the paperwork and what not done and over with, but only ten minutes for the court to read through everything and say, "Yeah, whatever, she's yours." But, at least it was all over with. Now maybe they could devote more time to their wedding.

Looking back over at Amy, he realized she was in some sort of a daze, and he took hold of her arm, steadying her, chuckling softly. He was glad to see her so excited, so ecstatic, even though inside he knew that the court's approval now meant their lives would be changed today, when they would go pick up Kyler from the adoption center.

"Sonic…" Her voice was in a whisper as she turned to him, grinning ear to ear. "Sonic, she's ours!" Suddenly she was lunging forward, and she put her arms around him, hugging him so tightly that for a moment, the blue hedgehog couldn't even breathe. But once he caught his breath, he hugged her just as hard, trying to be a support, trying to show that he was really, really excited for her; which he was, just not for himself. Pulling back, he smiled tenderly at her tear-lined face, recalling all the effort they-mostly she- had gone through in the last month to make sure everything was perfect so that Kyler could be welcomed into their family. Having succeeded, Amy couldn't be more overjoyed.

"Let's go get her," she giggled. "Let's go get our new daughter."

* * *

They arrived at the adoption center not two minutes later, and as Sonic lowered Amy from his arms onto the pavement, she turned to him, taking his hand in hers, and together the two walked up to the entrance. Pushing open the doors, Amy practically glided up to the counter, where a young woman, who was a marmoset, sat reading the newspaper. She glanced up at the sound of the doorbell ringing, and smiled at the hedgehog couple as they stopped in front of her.

"Did it work out smoothly?" she asked anxiously, hope dancing in her own eyes for the answer. Over the last month, she had become used to seeing the hedgehog couple come and visit Kyler, the pink hedgehog always saying how soon, the child would be there's.

"Yep," Amy answered, pride in her voice as she spoke. "We just got permission not five minutes ago."

"Well, congratulations!" the women replied, standing from her seat. "Here to pick her up and take her home, I assume?"

"Of course," Amy replied, giggling in excitement.

"Well, then I'll be right back with her," she answered, heading over to the child's room. "I must say, it will be completely different without her. She may be young, but she will be missed by myself and the other workers. She was always such a good baby." And without another word, she went off to get the child.

Inhaling a deep breath, Amy watched the women she had grown to know leave the room to go get Kyler-_her_ baby. She turned slightly, looking for Sonic, and she merely smiled as she watched him pace the room impatiently, nervously. Reaching out a hand, she took hold of his shoulder, and he stopped mid-pace, looking back at her, smiling weakly. Even after the conversation a month ago over adopting the child or not, Sonic still periodically showed signs of discomfort over the idea. Amy had told herself to ignore it, to move on and to continue signing papers and talking over the phone to her attorney. It wasn't until then, that she realized that she had been devoting so much time to 'winning' the baby, that she had hardly even thought of the wedding. Guilt gnawed in her chest, and her smile turned into a frown. Sonic noticed, and he frowned too, blinking.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, not wanting to intrude on the silence this building seemed to be so good at perfecting.

"I'm sorry," she replied back softly, looking down. "The wedding…I've hardly even-"

A finger touched her lips, and she looked back up at him.

"Don't," he said. "Not now. We're about to get Kyler and become parents, and you're supposed to be happy." He paused, caressing her cheek softly. "We got another month to plan it. We're good." She reached for his hand on her face, taking it gently, glad for his warmth, and she closed her eyes, allowing excitement to sweep through her system once again.

"Here she is!" The women from up front walked into the room then, carrying two month old Kyler in her arms, staring down at the tiny infant with affection. "You got the necessary papers?" Amy reached into her purse, and upon finding the papers, spread them out on the desk. The women bounced the baby gently in her arms as she scanned the papers, and then she looked up at Amy, smiling. "She's yours now. Welcome to parenthood."

Gently, the women handed Kyler over to Amy, who beamed down at the little girl with love. Finally, a month after the life changing night, Amy had received Kyler. Yawning, the baby rolled her tiny fingers into a fist, and then stuck a thumb into her small mouth. Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing two identical sky-blue eyes, with mysterious red specks throughout.

"I love how her eyes have red flecks throughout 'em," Amy mystified, not knowing what those eyes would someday bring to her life. "Don't you, Sonic?" The blue hedgehog nodded as he gazed down at the baby lying in his fiancee's arms.

"It is unique," he managed to say, and then he turned towards the door. "Come on, Ames. Let's take her home." He nodded to the adoption lady, whom he still didn't know the name of, and never would, and smiled, waving. "Thanks!" he called, and then he, Amy, and the new baby were out the door.

And heading home.

* * *

Kyler had never been much of a crier, let alone a fuser, but today she seemed to be in a foul mood, and as Amy tried bottle-feeding the child, all she seemed interested in was sticking up her nose, or whimpering in complaint.

"Come on, honey," Amy prompted gently, jiggling the baby lightly in her arms as she tried and failed to get the baby to drink her formula.

"She ain't in the mood for cooperating, is she?" Sonic asked, smirking lightly to himself. Amy sighed, looking up at him.

"You think you can do any better?"

"Sure."

"I dare you." Sonic's confident look shriveled away, and he looked off to the side, making sure he didn't let Amy see into his eyes.

"Pft, na; you're better with her anyway."

"You were the one who quieted her down the first day we met her," Amy reminded him, sneering. "Remember? And in general, she seems…calm around you."

"It's probably because I don't give her so much attention," Sonic joked playfully, and Amy played back, rolling her eyes.

"Here." Getting up from her seat, she handed the baby and the bottle to the startled male. "Go on, try it," she urged him. "Just try."

Sonic sighed, fidgeting in his seat. Over the last month, Amy had always been the one to feed the infant. He'd never asked, she'd never made him. But here he was, actually _holding_ the baby, and he took a deep breath as he tried prodding the bottle into the baby's mouth. A whimper escaped the child just before she took the bottle, and after an awkward second of the baby wondering what to do with the bottle, she began to drink. Amy gasped beside her fiancé, grinning.

"Sonic…" She grabbed hold of his shoulders, shaking him slightly as she giggled. "Sonic, you did it! You're already a pro, and on your first try!" Sonic chuckled nervously, wishing he had a hand free so he could rub the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"It's not that bad," he admitted, staring down at the infant who lay in his arms, and he chuckled lightly, smiling at the child; a rare sight, this early in the game. The baby, startled that Sonic had made eye contact with her, stopped suckling for a moment, unsure of how to take his unfaltering gaze. And then she merely blinked and went back to drinking, and Amy shook her head from side to side, amazed.

"See?" She spoke softly, not wanting to disturb Kyler. "There's like…a connection between you two."

"Ames, she's hardly two months old."

"You are going to make such a great Dad." Sonic seemed about to protest, but then he slowly shut his mouth, blinking in surprise, and he looked up at Amy, his face serious.

"You really think so?"

"I do," she answered confidently. "I think given the chance you could make a wonderful parent." Sonic looked down at the baby again, taking in her small fingers, floppy ears, long bangs, sky-blue skin. Suddenly, he felt like he just couldn't: He couldn't hold such a master piece and say she was _his_.

"Here." He lifted the child back up to a startled Amy, who took the child without question, glad that the baby simply whimpered quietly at the movement. Avoiding his fiancée's curious eyes, he stood up. "I just…don't feel qualified." Amy opened her mouth, about to protest. "Don't, seriously, Amy. Let me warm up to her at my own pace…please?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog…you want to take things _slow_?" Amy laughed merrily. "Oh, Sonic. Sometimes you can be such a mystery." But she kept the baby in her arms and finished the feeding anyway. "But, you do know that you'll need to start getting used to her. She'll be yours in a month, you know."

"But you'll be mine in a month, too." Amy blushed at his comment, focusing on feeding the baby.

"Yes…" she murmured softly. "And I can't wait." She gazed into Sonic's eyes as she said so, making sure he knew that she was looking forward to it. He nodded his response as he headed towards the kitchen.

"Now, since the baby's about done with her supper, can we start ours? I'm starvin' over here!" Amy laughed, smiling.

"Yes," she replied. "Yes, you can get out the chili dogs."

"We can have them tonight?" He sounded amazed and excited. "Are ya serious?" This only made her laugh again, and she walked into the kitchen were he stood looking into the fridge.

"Well, we do have to celebrate," she explained, "and I know you love chili dogs."

"I. Love. You," He stated feverishly, rushing up to her and kissing her cheek before pulling out the microwavable chili dogs from the freezer. Amy blushed again, giggling.

"Don't get too excited," she teased. "There's only enough for you to have two." Sonic shrugged as he placed the food on a plate, and stuck it into the microwave.

"Oh well," he quipped, "you have more food somewhere." She smiled at him lovingly.

"I'm going to go put her to bed," Amy said suddenly. "Might as well. I'll be going to bed the moment you leave for your home anyway."

"Hurry back!" Sonic called as she exited the room, Kyler shifting restlessly in her arms. Cooing softly, Kyler looked around the practically unfamiliar home, taking it all in for future reference. Stopping suddenly, Amy opened the door in front of her that was painted a shade of light green, and she stepped into the small yet decorative room. Gently, gently, she set the baby down in her crib, caressing her tiny flushed cheek with her substantially bigger finger and kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"Welcome home," she whispered to the unknowing infant, who gazed around her new bedroom curiously, trying to process the stuffed animals sitting on the shelves, the tiny toys next to the play-pen that Amy planned to later move into the living room. A night light made the room dim at all times, day or night; a comfort Kyler would later in life be grateful for. "Good night, Kyler," Amy finished, pushing herself up from the crib. "I love you." Quietly, she left the room, allowing the child to fall asleep to the alluring sound of the CD of lullaby's she had bought just for such a cause.

And thus, Amy figured, the first day of parenthood had come to a close, and she smiled at the thought.


	6. Doctors and Soldiers

Wow…I didn't realize that I hadn't updated this in 2 ½ months until today…I'm _so_ glad I had time today to write this. It's not much; just sort of an overview of what's been happening in the Hedgehog family since Kyler was first found, but hey, it needed to be written. Hope you enjoy it, and thanks for all the reviews! Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter six

Doctors and Soldiers

_Four years later…_

"Is it gonna hurt?" the child whimpered, clutching her leg protectively. She glanced up at her mother for support, eyes big and full of panic. Smiling softly, Amy pushed aside her daughter's growing bangs, so as to get a better look at her daughter's light blue orbs.

"Na, it'll be like a poke," she assured the child, brushing the bangs back into place. "It'll only hurt for a moment, and then the nurse will give you a SpongeBob Band-Aid." The girl, still nervous, smiled weakly, and she turned her gaze to the nurse in front of her. She warily watched as the tabby filled the large needle up with some sort of medicine; the child wasn't sure what it was, really, only that it certainly didn't look safe. Still concerned, the child watched the nurse as she walked towards her, who smiled warmly at the child.

"Your mother's right, Kyler," the tabby confirmed, gently taking the girl's leg. "I'm going to count to three, now, alright? One, two-"

Abruptly, the nurse pushed down the needle into the girl's leg, and the child let out a howl of pain, allowing the tears to flow.

"Aw, now Kyler, it wasn't that bad," Amy comforted, taking the child in her arms. She mouthed a thank you to the nurse, understanding the timing of the shot perfectly, and the tabby merely shrugged her reply, smiling. Opening a white cupboard, the nurse pulled out a box of Band-Aids.

"Why don't you choose your own Band-Aid, honey?" the nurse softly told the child, setting the box down on the operation table. Kyler sniffled, unsure, so Amy picked up the box herself and picked out five different Band-Aid options.

"Which one?" she asked the girl, and Kyler wearily pointed to the third option, barely feeling her mother press the Band-Aid on. "There, all better," Amy said, kissing her daughter on the forehead. "You're done now, honey." The blue hedgehog perked up to the words, smiling amidst her teary face.

"Cwan we go home?" she asked, blinking innocently as she wiped away her tears with her sleeve.

"Very soon," Amy replied, helping the child down from the table. "I need to talk to the nurse a minute, and then we'll go, okay?" Nodding, Kyler rushed to her mother's purse and pulled out her stuffed dog, hugging it tightly against her chest. She never went far without the stuffed toy, finding it to be a constant comfort.

"She seems to be normal," the nurse said then, sounding pleased as she watched the child from the corner of her eye. "Blood pressure's normal, she's not over or under weight…you guys are doing a good job."

"Her blood's not giving her any trouble?" Amy asked worriedly, and the nurse smiled.

"No, Ma'am," she replied. "I think we're all too worried about it. Kyler is a perfectly normal child, except she has a different blood type. As long as her blood stays regulated, she should be fine." Amy smiled, relief flooding through her system.

"That's great," she said, glancing at Kyler for a split second. "Anything else from us?"

"Nothing the front desk can't handle," the tabby replied, grinning. "You two have a good day, and I look forward to seeing the rest of the family soon. Oh, and how're they all doing?"

"Well, like Kyler, they're all doing perfectly normal," Amy replied, smiling politely. She turned to Kyler then, taking the girl's hand in hers as she also grabbed her purse. "Thanks again." She nodded at the nurse before leading herself and Kyler out of the room and towards the front desk.

"We goin' now, Mama?" Kyler asked, eyes on her feet as she avoided stepping on the tile's cracks.

"I just need to sign a few things at the front desk, than we're off," Amy promised. "Want some ice cream after this? You were such a brave girl…" Kyler looked up, grinning, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah!" she cried, giggling. "Ice cream!"

Amy laughed, squeezing her daughter's hand in her own. "Ice cream it is then."

* * *

Sonic the Hedgehog was hiding behind the couch when Violet started searching, calling out his name every now and then, as if she honestly thought he'd answer to her while playing Hide and Seek. Grinning, Sonic allowed himself to chuckle underneath his breath. He had maybe a minute tops before she'd find him, and then he'd count while she hid underneath a blanket in the middle of the living room. At this thought, he couldn't help but smile, shaking his head from side to side. Kids were so naïve, he figured. That was only one of the reasons he loved them so.

"Fo'nd 'uo!" the toddler cried as she glanced behind the couch, and she pointed a chubby finger in his direction, giggling. "Fo'nd 'uo, Daddy!" she cried again. "You'z turn!" Sonic chuckled, and he stood up from her crouched position on the floor.

"Okay, okay, ya found me," Sonic replied, and he ruffled her spines. "Go hide now, 'kay?" Giggling, the child was about to run off, in search of a big blanket to hide under no doubt, when the door suddenly opened, and they both turned to Amy's voice.

"We're home!" she called, and Violet scampered over to her mother, giggling as she wrapped her arms around her mother's torso. Sonic smiled at the sight, and he walked over to _his_ three girls.

"How's she doing?" he asked Amy as he kissed her lightly on the cheek, before removing her jacket.

'"She's perfectly normal,'" Amy quoted, smiling. "The nurse said we're worrying too much over the fact that her blood's different." Sonic shrugged, his smile replaced with a frown.

"As long as she never needs more of it…" he murmured, but then he smiled again, not liking to dwell on the what-if's. "I see you and Ky got some ice cream." He gestured at Kyler's face, which was covered in mint ice cream.

"She was a brave girl," Amy replied, smiling, and she watched as Kyler and Violet rushed off to go continue the game of Hide and Seek themselves. "Dash asleep?"

"Took me forever to put him down," Sonic answered, rolling his eyes. "But he's nappin' for now."

"That's good," Amy replied, and she headed towards the living room, already worn out for the day's activities as she plopped down on the couch. "I wish I could nap on a regular basis like he does."

"I know," he comforted, and he sat down beside her, reaching out and pulling her close. She yawned, tiredly, and rested her head on his shoulder as he fiddled with her quills absently. "You know," he continued, "Kyler's a year away from Kindergarten. Where're we gonna enroll her?"

"And why are _you_ thinking a year in advance?" Amy asked, looking up at him, and she chuckled. "Oh, I don't know…probably at that Kindergarten only five minutes away. I've looked it up; seems like a good place for her."

"She sure grew up fast," the blue one mused, frowning once more. "I feel like she arrived on our doorstep only yesterday."

"You and me both," Amy replied, snuggling deeper into his shoulder. Vaguely, she heard Kyler yell, " I Found you!" to her sister somewhere off in the house, and she smiled warmly. "Violet's going to miss her sister when she goes to school."

"And then she'll have to talk to you," Sonic teased, chuckling as Amy jokingly groaned.

A comfortable silence fell between the two, each lost in their own thoughts. The four years since Kyler had arrived on their doorstep had flown by, and in that time the hedgehog couple had managed to marry and have two of their own kids; Violet and Dash. Violet and Kyler got along like true sisters, being only a year apart, and Violet followed behind her older sister's leadership without a second thought. Dash, two years younger than Violet, was too young to do anything but crawl around on all fours at thirty miles an hour and cause his parents chaos.

Meanwhile, Kyler had grown up like any normal child would. When Amy had adopted her at four months old, the two of them had moved in with Amy's mother and father for the time being, waiting out the time before Sonic became a part of the family.

"I can't raise her alone," Amy had told Sonic, "and you're not moving in with me before we're married." Sonic had merely shrugged, understanding the logic, and at that time he hadn't been extremely fond of Kyler anyway. He visited Amy and Kyler as often as he could, slowly learning how to be a parent as he did so, and the wedding had been planned at the same time. When the hedgehog couple married a few months later, Amy and Kyler moved back to their old home, this time with Sonic in tow. It had been complicated, but, looking back on it, everyone involved agreed that it had probably been the best decision. Besides, Barbara and Howard hadn't minded the extra time they received with Amy and their new granddaughter one bit. If anything, it had drawn everyone closer together. By the time Sonic and Amy married, Sonic had grown in that he could finally look at Kyler and think of her as his daughter, and the two were often seen playing together on the floor with blocks or some other toy, Sonic grinning broadly, Kyler cooing softly.

At present, Sonic didn't know how he'd ever survived without Amy and the children beforehand. The children, although rambunctious and demanding like any child, gave him such joy and hope for the world, and Amy always knew how to brighten even his worst days. Before he had received a family and therefore responsibility, he had never taken the time to slow down and appreciate life. Who would want to, if they had his speed? But now…now he realized what he'd been missing out on. And he never wanted to give any of it up. _Never_.

* * *

He had first arrived as a scrawny, wide-eyed boy, his arms around his thin torso as he stared down at the ground. Roughly, he had been shoved into his new location, and when the door slammed shut behind him, the boy did not moved. She watched him warily from her dark corner of rotten blankets, but still, he did not move, aside from sitting down where he was and burying his head in his arms.

For three days, he stayed like this, sitting in the middle of the cell, fully exposed. The inmates made bets on him, guessing when he would keel over and die. He was such a little thing; so young and underfed. There was no way he could surpass a week in his state. Not without a miracle.

By the end of the third day, she had grown tired of all the chatter. She preferred it when everyone stayed quiet, and so, she had proceeded towards the small boy in the middle of the cell. Sitting down on the damp concrete only feet from him, she shoved a half-full bowl of gruel next to him that she had saved specifically for him from supper.

"Ya gotta eat," she had said gruffly, glaring at his small form. She was the only other child in the cell, and she would not watch him die on her expense. "Eat, stupid." She reached out and shoved him, impatience building. But still the boy did not even look up. Sighing angrily, she stood up, kicking over the bowl of food before realizing what she had done, and again she glared at the boy.

"Go ahead and rot then," she had said through gritted teeth, and she stomped back over to her dark corner. Sitting down on her pile of blankets, she huffed angrily, before she chanced a glance at the boy. She was shocked when she saw his head poke out as he began to eat the gruel from the ground, and she blinked multiple times.

"Good ta see you alive," she called across the tiny cell, her voice gruff, but anyone who knew her would've been able to hear a twinge of relief in her voice as well.

The boy didn't make eye contact with her for over a week, even as she continued coaxing him with gruel-the only food they got, and only once a day too. The inmates scorned at the girl, telling her that she should just let the boy die.

"What's he got to live for anyway?" one asked her one day. "Like he needs to go through more tests." But the girl had remained silent as she sat cross-legged on the floor, watching the boy slurp the food into his system. She didn't know why she was keeping him alive; she knew herself there was really no reason to live. But she found herself pitying the boy more and more as the days progressed. She had a feeling that they had some sort of connection. After all, she had broken down herself a few years back, but no one had helped her back to her feet. Starvation had pulled her back, slowly, and she had saved herself. She didn't want the boy to have to make his own choice over life or death, for she knew he'd probably choose death. And she didn't want that to be his future.

The girl, now a women, would never know how he had saved her life, and in multiple ways. Without him, she would've withered away herself. But she had no way of knowing this, for he was gone. Forever.

She rummaged through the garbage can at present, her clothes dirty and ragged. It had been four years since she had escaped a fate that led to death. Although her life now was still rather harsh and unbearable, she had put on some weight, and the clothes she wore were her own; sure, they were stolen, but they were _hers_. The soldiers were constantly on her heels, and so her down time was limited, but whenever she was free she'd open up her backpack and pull out her all time favorite book. She couldn't read a number of the words, even after four years of teaching herself how to read, but she knew the book spoke of freedom and liberty. Something she had longed for as a child, and something she was having her first taste of, now as a young adult.

Pulling herself up out of the dumpster, she scanned the alley cautiously, feeling someone's eyes on her. Absently, she nibbled on an apple she had managed to retrieve, swallowing the rotten fruit with satisfaction. She couldn't stay here much longer, she mused. She'd been in this neighborhood for over two weeks, and her time was limited before the soldiers would find her and try and capture her. Already, she had managed to escape their clutches over a hundred times, although she hadn't been counting.

Suddenly hearing voices, she stiffened, than lunged herself behind the dumpster, ignoring the smell as she forced herself to stay calm. Who said it had to be the soldiers' voices?

"I'm wondering if we should get _him_ involved," the first voice started, and she lowered her eyes. She recognized the voice. Although she didn't know his name, he'd been one of the soldiers after her for three of the four years. He was young, she knew this from his voice, and he couldn't be too big of a man, for his steps remained light. But he was still a threat, and she cursed under her breath, hoping for a miracle.

"Him?" a second voice asked, and she was relieved to not recognize it.

"Don't be stupid," the first man scolded, "Sonic of course!"

"What's Sonic got to do with any of this?" a third soldier asked roughly. "I thought we were keeping him out of this…"

The women blinked. She'd never heard of this Sonic before. Was he some big hotshot police guy?

She didn't care enough, though. All she cared about was getting out of this alive and without being spotted. Holding her breath, she closed her eyes, counting slowly to keep her stress levels down. That was the last thing she needed: more stress.

The voices waned off slowly as did the footsteps, but she remained hidden for at least ten minutes, not knowing for sure if they were truly gone or if they were waiting for her at the entrance of the alley. When she finally did come out of hiding, she blinked as the sunlight hit her square in the face. It was sundown, she realized, and she needed to get out of here before the homeless men ventured out, searching for food, and, much to her disappointment, lost, weak, girls.


	7. Winds of Change

Chapter seven

Winds of Change

Sometimes, in the dead of the night, he would wake up. After making sure that Amy was sleeping soundly beside him, he would get out of bed, being careful not to wake her as he'd open the door softly, letting it almost close behind him as he traveled down the hall. Upon reaching his destination, he'd open his daughter's door, peeping in.

And to his relief, she was always there, and he would smile, and after watching her sleep for a few minutes, he'd head back to his room, climb into bed, and sleep soundly for the rest of the night, knowing she was safe.

Because he knew she hadn't always been. Safe, that is. He knew something had happened to her family in her first month of existence. Maybe her father had died; maybe her Mom was a prisoner; maybe she'd been neglected. It could've been a number of different things, and Sonic only wished he knew. He wanted to give Kyler's folks a piece of his mind. He'd grown to love the little girl and her antics, and so he didn't understand how someone _couldn't_ love her.

And tonight was one of those nights where he got up out of bed and headed to her room to watch her sleep. She happened to share her room with Violet, and so Sonic often found himself comparing the two girls' short life stories and personalities. Reaching the cozy bedroom, the blue hedgehog pushed the door open with a creak, and his eyes landed on his two little girls, whom were sleeping peacefully. He smiled lovingly at the two toddlers, their night-light reflecting across the floor so that he could vaguely make out their faces.

He stood by their doorway for a good five minutes, watching and wondering to himself, what the girls would someday become. Would they be authors? Zookeepers? Teachers? Stay-at-Home-Mom's, like their own mother? But once the five minutes were up, he grew tired of pondering to himself, and he gently shut their door before heading to the kitchen. He stopped by Dash's room for a few minutes as well, so as to say he'd made sure they were all asleep and secure.

Often when he would awaken in the middle of the night to check up on the kids, Sonic would find himself thirsty, or craving a midnight snack, and tonight was no different. Reaching the kitchen, he pulled out a glass from a cupboard and filled it with some water, watching it fill to the half-way point. Once there, he turned the tap off and drank half the water with a quick gulp, before he headed to the living room, feeling restless.

He stopped in front of the couch, looking at it as if he were staring right through it. Putting his drink down on the coffee table, he suddenly began pushing the couch aside to his left, moving it away from the wall it was sitting up against. There, right behind where the couch had been, was a safe compartment.

Bending down to where the combination was, the blue hedgehog opened the safe up with a quick flick of his wrist. With a sigh, the small door opened. Within, were three chaos emeralds; blue, yellow, and red in color.

Slowly, the hedgehog reached in and retrieved the yellow emerald, feeling its power through his bare hand. He smirked, recalling the days when the chaos emeralds did more than sit away and collect dust in a safe. The only reason the chaos emeralds did so now was to make sure they didn't fall into the wrong hands, and to have them available if something were to come up in the near future.

But Sonic and the rest of the Team hadn't needed the emeralds for _years_. In fact, except for a few random calls from the city's police, Sonic hadn't been needed, either. The city had stopped paying Sonic for being their local hero two years ago, when they'd realized his help wasn't really needed anymore, and so now all the Hedgehog family had to rely on was Sonic's income from Tails' repair shop, which, wasn't very much. This hadn't concerned Sonic up until recently, but when Dash was born about six months prior, the amount of money flowing through the Hedgehog's hand's had become limited, if not tight.

Sighing, Sonic found himself twirling the emerald absently in his hand, admiring its rare beauty. It had been a long time since he'd held any one of the seven powerful gems. He kind of liked the feeling of power going through him again; it reminded him of his teen years.

"Daddy?" He turned to the sweet sound of Kyler's voice, who was standing behind the couch, a bit dazed. "Dad, what's that?" She pointed to the emerald in her father's hand.

Panicked, Sonic clutched the emerald tightly, wary as Kyler tiredly walked up to her father.

"Don't touch it," he warned her firmly, and the child looked up, confused, for her father rarely used that tone with her.

"Why not?" she asked, huffing. She crossed her arms to show anger; a nasty habit of hers Sonic was hoping to reduce in the future.

"It hurts you, remember?" he replied, a bit less firm this time, and he gently set the emerald back into the safe and shut the door. The emeralds' light suddenly vanished, and the room was dark and void again. He reached out to her and pulled her into his lap, rocking her gently as she shook her head. "Well, you were only a baby, so I guess you wouldn't remember," Sonic admitted, chuckling nervously. "You touched one of those once, when Mommy and I were holding it," he explained, "and it hurt you. We had to take you to the doctor and everything…" He tried to push the sudden memory from his brain, hating that it had ever occurred. Amy had been so terribly worried, Kyler had been screaming, her hand had instantly burnt, her blue eyes turned blood red…

_"Her body's reacting to the emerald's power," the doctor said, bemused. "It…her body's refusing the power, but in a violent way. Not like how normal people would. Normal people can touch it, not receive the power, and also not get hurt. But this child…can't."_

"Why'd it hurt me?" the child asked as Sonic got up from his position on the floor. He shoved the couch back into its corner before picking up Kyler and heading towards her bedroom.

"Don't know," Sonic answered, suddenly feeling tired. "The doctors gave you some medicine and when you woke up…you were okay. Now, no more questions." Kyler frowned, wanting to know more, but she silenced, feeling too weary to say much more anyway. Upon reaching his daughter's bed, Sonic gently laid her back down, tucking her in. "Love ya, kiddo," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

He shut the door behind him.

* * *

He was about to leave for work the next morning, when the phone began to ring. Amy was busy feeding Dash, who had lately decided it was fun to spit his baby food back up at his mother, and so Sonic figured it'd be best for him to answer the phone on his way out.

"'Ello?" said Sonic. He leaned against the counter, smirking as his daughters began to laugh as Dash spit up his food for the umpteenth time. "This is Sonic."

"Hello, Sonic," a deep voice projected. Sonic blinked, somehow recognizing the voice, but having no idea who it was. "My name is Sergeant Tynon, and I am in control of Central City's security force."

"Hey," Sonic replied nonchalantly. He'd never heard of this Tynon guy, but he figured he might as well let the man continue. "Whatcha need?"

"Well, a few years back, a dangerous criminal escaped one of our best guarded jails," the Sergeant continued. "Unfortunately, after years of failing to find this villain, we have fallen short. We kindly ask that you would assist us in finding this rogue before it's too late." Sonic blinked, shocked. A Sergeant of any kind hadn't called him in a long, long time. For once, the hedgehog was speechless.

"We'll pay you for your troubles, and with your speed, hopefully this won't take more than a month's time," Tynon rushed, sensing Sonic's hesitation. "We can offer you more information only after you accept, however, for this is top secret."

"Top secret, eh?" A mess of adrenaline and excitement rushed through the hedgehog's veins, and suddenly he felt like a teenager again, ready to kick Eggman's butt. He turned to his family, watching them silently, pondering. If he took this job, there'd be more income flowing through their home, and Amy wouldn't have to ask if she needed to get a job. On the contrary, Sonic had no idea how this deal would fall through. After all, he'd never heard of this Tynon character. How could he know if he could trust him?

"Can I get back to you on this?" Sonic asked, biting his lip. "I need to talk it over with my family…"

"Go right ahead," the man on the other end replied. "I'm a father myself. I understand. However, your time to make a decision ends tomorrow at noon. If you don't call back by then, the deal's off. You have my number?"

"I got caller I.D.," the cobalt hedgehog replied. "Thanks."

"No. Thank you," Sergeant Tynon said. "Keep in touch." And with a click, he hung-up.

* * *

He began to like her six months after meeting her, but he kept it a secret until six years after meeting her. A young teenager by then, hormones had been raging, and he'd find himself waking up in the middle of the night to make sure she lay next to him, _safe_. Little did he know, but she did the same thing, but for a totally different reason. She didn't like him at the time- she only worried about him, as if he were her own son.

When his secret was exposed six years later, she avoided him like a cat avoids a dog, and for a good week, too. Pushing him out of her corner, she fell back into her life of solitude, not understanding how anything close to love could find its way into their cold cell. But her protective instincts forced her to bring him back when he proved too weak to fend for himself and fight for his own rights towards the food provided.

Their relationship now strained to the point of breaking, the boy backed off, seeking his own solitude while letting the girl 'protect' him. Really, he could protect himself, and he knew it. All she did differently was fight for her rights against the other cell mates. He merely allowed himself to be carried along, and if his choices would kill him, then so be it. Without her, he found no reason to live.

The day he proved himself to her was when he managed to rescue her from the soldiers. They had grabbed her from the back of the cell, determined to test her, to stick needles in her arms and legs. On a normal day, he would've acted like a coward and watched from the sidelines. But on that fateful day, everything changed, and he found himself protecting _her_, not the other way around. In the end, he was too weak for the soldiers, for they had health and size on their side. But she never forgot it, and that's when she slowly-slowly-began to like him. Him-the underweight, optimistic, clumsy kid she had saved years back.

In the present, she wished she had his form of protection again. While she fought and picked a fight, the boy had always been the calm one of the two, who had protected her by keeping her life positive enough for her to want to live.

Sighing, she gazed up at the dark, night sky. Currently, she was on the move again. The soldiers had gotten a bit too close for comfort recently, and she was feeling restless anyway. It was time for her to find a new neighborhood to hide out in, to maybe even find some sort of a job. Over the past few years, she'd learned that that was what almost everyone on the street wanted, because a job brought money, and money bought life. Or, so she was told.

And, while she was at it, she'd decided that she _needed_ to find her daughter again. Not only for her own benefit, but for her daughter's as well, because she had a bad feeling her child wasn't safe where she was. Maybe it was her being an overprotective mother; maybe it was her going through withdrawal for the thousandth time. But with this hotshot 'Sonic' guy now about to get involved (she'd heard rumors from the soldiers for a while), she figured her life was on the line, and so that probably meant her baby wouldn't be safe, either, considering they were so alike.

Pulling her backpack of belongings up onto her shoulder, the young women set out into the dark night, not knowing her destination, but only that it would bring a much needed change to her life.

* * *

Definition of Wishy-washy: "Lacking in strength of character or purpose; ineffective; weak in willpower." My definition: Ever changing your mind.

Hmm. This sounds like me, doesn't it?

Okay, so I have no idea what's going on with my Sonic stories anymore. I have this huge want to write and finish this story, because for some reason it's important to me moreso than the others. Why haven't I tried writing this without Sonic and with real characters to satisfy this need? Good question.

I'm still hoping-for your sakes only- that I'll write one last drabble someday. But all that fluffy, lovey-dovey stuff has kind of vanished for me…not sure why. We'll see if I'm 'wishy-washy' in that sense too, and love romance again like I once did.

For this story's future…meh. I don't know. Maybe I'll update again in six months, haha. Thanks for reading! =)

~Ksonic


	8. The Decision

Chapter eight

The Decision

"I got a call this morning," Sonic started, leaning against the bathroom sink.

"I noticed," Amy replied, slightly stressed as she bathed Kyler and Violet in the tub, for the two had a trouble with sitting still. Thankfully, Dash hadn't needed a bath tonight; otherwise her stress level would've been closer to the breaking point. "Who was it?"

"Some Sergeant named Tynon," he replied, frowning. "He wants me to help him and his team locate a dangerous criminal that escaped from jail some four years ago."

Amy turned to him, frowning as well. "This criminal has been running free for four years?" she asked in disbelief. "How come the public doesn't know about this? How come they didn't call you earlier?"

Sonic shrugged, smiling as Kyler splashed some water into her sister's amused face. "I was wondering the same thing. If it were that big a deal, it should've already been dwelt with. But then he continued by saying he couldn't tell me anymore, 'cause it was top secret."

"Ah, well that would explain why the public doesn't know about it," Amy mused. Having finished the bath for her daughter's, she drained the tub and reached for a towel for Violet. Kyler, one step ahead, grabbed her own towel and shivered into the warm cotton.

"Mama, is Daddy gonna work for the police 'gin?" Kyler asked. "That'd be soo cool!" Sonic smirked slightly, and he reached out to his daughter, helping the child dry off.

"I don't know, Ky," he answered. "I haven't even heard of this Tynon guy." He looked back up at his wife, confusion written across his face. "I looked up his name in my spare time at work today, though. He seems genuine. Been a commander for eleven years, clean background…it just seems odd that I don't know about him."

"Well, you're not really in the crime-fighting culture anymore, either, honey," said Amy, still drying off Violet, who by now was starting to yawn tiredly. "I think you should go for it. Sounds like a great way to get you back in the game."

"And to get some more money," Sonic added, a thin smile making its way across his face. "Ya sure? It might cut some family time."

"You've already given so much more time into this family then I thought you would when we first got married," the pink hedgehog answered, smiling lovingly at her husband. "I thought Kyler would be our first and our last. Apparently, I was proved wrong."

"Don't you just love being wrong?" Sonic joked, and the two shared a laugh as they exited the bathroom, two clean daughters in tow.

The next morning, Sonic found himself on the phone again with Tynon, energy rushing through his system. It was refreshing to be back in the game after so long. When Tynon picked up on the third ring, Sonic cut right to the chase.

"I'm in."

* * *

Their first kiss had started out as CPR. He hadn't been breathing, and so she, Friska, had leaned down towards him and placed her air-giving mouth on top of his. When he had awoken a minute later to her tears and lips on his mouth, he had smirked to the best of his ability and kissed her.

"Aww, I didn't know you cared," he jokingly said, but Friska was too frightened to allow herself to even smile. Rather, she broke down in his weary, bloodied arms, allowing him to comfort her. Rare as it was, he soaked it all up like a sponge, holding her and kissing her on the neck, cheek, lips, it didn't matter. He had never felt so alive, and in so much pain, at the same time. He had finally gotten her to admit, in one way or another, that she loved him. And even though every day was torturous and hardly worth living, when he was with her…he found he could survive.

They broke the barrier between them two years later. It counted as marriage in the cell. Lying next to Friska after the fact on the cold tile floor, a wave of love so powerful had overcome the boy, who was now a young man. He reached out and caressed her sleeping face, and in his mind he naively told himself that they would always be together.

In fact, maybe they could even escape together.

He told her of his plan a few days later, and she had scoffed at him.

"How many have escaped this place in our life time? She scolded him. "Do you honestly believe we'd have better luck?"

"We have each other," he had murmured into her ear. "The others had only themselves. To escape, you need teamwork."

"And a heck of a lot of talent and luck," Friska had muttered, a bit irritated with his daydream. She would never admit it, but she had often thought about escaping too. But she knew it was nearly impossible, and so the thought of escape was short and underfed.

Yet here she was, six years from that night so long ago, in a town known as Mobius. The name rang familiar somehow in her mind, and so she had decided to travel to the under-populated town to see if maybe, perhaps, this is where the child was. As Friska walked along the outskirts of the town, memories of the boy flooded her mind. She was finding herself remembering him a lot more than normal these days. Maybe it was because she was actively searching for their child, whom he had never had the chance to know. He had been taken away before then, kicking and screaming, knowing his fate was to the death this time. She had fought to protect him, but in her pregnant state she had only hurt herself further.

"I love you!" he had called; his final words to her.

She stopped suddenly, eyes going wide. A child's laughter echoed the streets, and a sudden gust of blue wind rushed past her. Anxious, the woman ran into the shadows of the alley, wondering in the back of her mind how wind could be _blue_. A few minutes later she dared to reemerge, and she poked her head out from behind a dumpster.

Everything appeared clear and she stood up, dusting herself off before daring to head into the street, wanting to know what the heck that blue wind had been. She got lucky, for she immediately found the source as the wind halted in the middle of an ice cream stand in the park. The wind was not wind, she quickly realized. It was a blue hedgehog, much like herself, but a male with strong features and apparent quick reflexes. On his back was a tiny hedgehog child, also blue, but lighter in her shade. the child was laughing as she climbed down onto the solid ground, grinning broadly up at what the woman guessed was the child's father.

Friska felt her heartbeat abruptly quicken. That child…looked so much like her past love had when he'd been young. Only she was much fairer, much stronger in appearance, and bold, too. She was blue in color like the woman was, only slightly darker.

The woman wanted so badly to find out for sure if the child was hers. Yet she knew better than to run up to the young one and demand to know. Her family wouldn't know Friska from Adam anyway. For all Friska knew, she was merely jumping ahead of herself, so anxious was she to find her un-named daughter. Breathing in to control herself, she watched the child finish up her ice cream before climbing back up onto the blue hedgehog's back, and the two sped away into the darkening afternoon.

* * *

You know what? I'm not going to defend myself. I think we've all learned that I'm wishy-washy, and that's the way it'll always be.

This story has the chance of being finished, someday. Might be in the next few months, but it also might be in the next few years. I have learned to make no guarantees. But I felt like writing tonight, and due to a snow day tomorrow I had an excuse to stay up later tonight.

The drabble series? Maybe I'll do that last chapter. I'm not feeling particularly inspired anymore, though. I just really like this story-line with Kyler.

Anywho, thanks for reading! =)

~Ksonic


End file.
